The Negroes and the Jews

In this fascinating survey of the alliance between the Negroes and the Jews from the pre-Civil War era to today [1971], Mrs. Berson traces the historical partnership of two prejudiced-against peoples and explores not only their separate and collaborative histories and economics, but their individual struggles for identity, justice and true freedom. The historical evidence traces the growing identification of Jews and Negroes as "undesirables" in the United States and examines the similarities between anti-Negro and anti-Jewish hate campaigns both past and present. Through actual interviews and personal experiences, the author analyzes the complex sociological and economic pressures exerted on and by both groups, which have resulted in a series of conflicts and alliances between them. Her discussion ranges from the problem of identity in psychologically WASP America, to the sociological implications of prejudice as it has affected housing, education and job opportunities, to the factors pressuring the two groups into both cooperative and competitive efforts, and, finally, to the present phenomenon of Black anti-Semitism toward the Jewish community which has assimilated into "white America." Mrs. Berson concludes by documenting the historical reasons for the Jewish community's fear of this Black anti-Semitism, and suggests that the tensions surrounding that conflict must be resolved the by entire American community in an effort to realize this country's promise of equality.